Hame-hook



(No Model.)

W. W. MILLER.

HAME HOOK.

No.. 525,609. fitented Sept. 4, 1894.

mysmon l BY +6 ATTORNEYS.

TH! wams PETERS on, wow-Luna, WAsHINGTON, u, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

WILLIAM lVHITFIELD MILLER, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

HAM E-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,609, dated September 4, 1894.

Application filed May 11, 1894.

To all whom it 11mg concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM WHITFIELD MILLER, of Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and Improved Hame-Hook, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide a new and improved hame hook, which is comparatively simple and durable in construction, and arranged to securely hold the trace link or ring in place Without danger of accidental displacement, permitting, however, a convenient unhooking whenever required.

Theinvention consists principally of a fixed plate having a hook, and a pivoted lock plate having a tongue adapted to swing over the fixed plate hook, to lock the trace ring or link in position.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying draw1ngs,forminga part of this specification, In WhlGll similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied. Fig. 2 is an inverted sectional plan view of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line 33 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a modified form of fastening for the hook plate.

The improved hame hook is provided with two principal parts, the stationary plate A, and the swinging lock plate B, both held on the wooden part of the hame D. The stationary hook plate A is provided with a rearwardly extending arm A formed at its inner end with a plate A fastened by a staple O, or other means, to the hame D.

On the hook plate A are formed the two hooks A and A, on the top and bottom re spectively, and the said hooks are adapted to be overlapped by the tongues B and B formed on the movable lock plate B, so that a ring or link of the 'trace inserted in either of the hooks A or A is readily locked in place when the plate B is swung in a locking position, as shown in Fig. 1.

When the plate B is in an open position, as illustrated in Fig. 4, then the trace ring or Serial No. 510,893. (No model.)

link can be readily hooked over the hook A, and when the lock plate B is then closed the ring or link is locked in place on the said hook. The lock plate B is pivoted on one arm E of a stapleE driven into the hame D and having the other arm E forming a stop for the locking plate, the said arm E engaging, for this purpose, a segmental slot B formed in the lock plate B. The front end of the lock plate B is provided with hooks B and B resting partly over the hooks A and A respectively, so as to strengthen the same by increasing the bearing surface for the trace ring or link. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the lock plate B is pivoted on a staple F and its slot B engages one arm of a second staple F likewise driven into the hame D. The operation of this look plate B in conjunction with the fixed hook plate A is the same as that above described in reference to Fig. 1.

The lower end of the plate A is formed with an auxiliary hook A and a shoulder A abutting against the lower edge of the movable lock plate B, as is plainly shown in Fig. 3. This lower hook A acts as a brace for the upper hook A so that the trace chain is held over the collar with greater ease and the two are not liable to bend. It is understood that the fixed plate A and the lock plate B are closed one upon the other, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and both take up the strain incident to the pulling of the horse on the trace, so that the hame hook is durable and not liable to break at the hooks.

It will be seen that the hame hook is double; that is, two hooks A and A are provided, either of which may be used at a time, so that the life of the hame hook is greatly increased or is almost doubled, as the operator can use one hook until it is worn out, and then attach the trace link or ring to the other hook. It has been found by experience that the hame D usually lasts about as long as two ordinary hame hooks, and consequentlya hame provided with my double hook needs no renewing until entirely worn out.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A hame hook, comprising a stationary plate having forwardly projecting hooks on its upper and lower edges, and a movable plate pivoted to swing in a plane parallel to the stationary plate and also having forwardly projecting books on its upper and lower edges registering with but of less length than the hooks on the stationary plate, the movable plate having top and bottom tongues or portions B B overlapping the'onds of the hooks on the stationary plate, substantially as described.

2. A hame hook, comprising the inclined stationary plate having an attaching flange A at its forward end and provided with upper and lower forwardly projecting hooks A A at its rear end at right angles to the flange,

15 and the pivoted plate parallel with said hooks and having a curved slot and provided at its rear free end with top and bottom hooks B B registering with but of less length than the hooks A A, projecting portions B B of the pivoted plate overlapping the ends of the IQ- hooks A A and a stop extending through the said curved slot to limit the movement of the pivoted plate, substantially as described.

3. A hame hook comprising a fixed plate having two hooks at the top and bottom edges, :5

and an auxiliary hook A at the lower end at right angles to said two hooks, and a lock plate pivoted on the hame and having a lim itecl swinging motion, the said plate being provided with tongues adapted to overlap the 30 fixed plate hook, substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM WHITFIELD MILLER.

\Vitnesses:

WILLIAM T. AVERY, RHEA P. CARY. 

